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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think some people on MN would fail English comprehension?

78 replies

HollyMiamiFLA · 16/02/2014 09:18

Because they seem unable to understand exactly what someone has said, they interpret sentences differently and they seem to say posters have said something which the poster clearly hasn't.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 16/02/2014 09:21

Grin They do it while looking to have a go I think Holly. Read between the lines big time and make HUGE assumptions.

NigellasDealer · 16/02/2014 09:22

yeh i know some people read the OP sketchily and then go off on one on some false premise of their own invention.

then when you get a bit snippy about their (invariably judgemental) false premise posts, they accuse you of being aggressive and rude.

do not worry about it holly.

pictish · 16/02/2014 09:23

This is one of my MN pet peeves. People who see what they want to see in someone's words, instead what they actually say.
Thety fabricate their own version then post as if it were real!

NigellasDealer · 16/02/2014 09:23

*there not their

ForgettableTampon · 16/02/2014 09:24

Tbf sometimes I ask for clarification precisely to avoid looking a tit (Not hard, I have perfected The Tit over the years Grin)

HollyMiamiFLA · 16/02/2014 09:24

It's amazing to see what people think you've said.

When you haven't said that.

OP posts:
pictish · 16/02/2014 09:25

Posters who do it, generally do it when they are itching to have go.

Sparklingbrook · 16/02/2014 09:25

I think the Op is just skim read because some posters have the perfect dig but it doesn't exactly suit the scenario-just bung it in anyway.

pictish · 16/02/2014 09:25

Exactly sparkling.

HoneyDragon · 16/02/2014 09:26

Well clearly I'm exempt as that is wot my degree is in, init.

Minifingers · 16/02/2014 09:27

YANBU

Go and dig up some old breastfeeding bunfight threads.

They are a feast of misapprehensions and deliberate misinterpretation.

Sparklingbrook · 16/02/2014 09:27

Stealth boast there Honey. Grin

Sparklingbrook · 16/02/2014 09:28

Shall we all have a day of reading threads the wrong way and having a go wherever possible to see what it's like? It may be liberating actually.

MetellaEstMater · 16/02/2014 09:29

Alternatively could it be that some posts aren't clear enough, so the problem is with the poster not the reader? Difficult to say without examples. (Is this a TAAT?).

upyourninja · 16/02/2014 09:29

YANBU. Some posters have extraordinary skills in missing the point. Or twisting and manipulating words. And yes sometimes it seems to be straightforward incomprehension.

Not frustrating at all Angry

pianodoodle · 16/02/2014 09:29

YANBU

Sparklingbrook · 16/02/2014 09:30

If the Op isn't clear enough-ask the OP. Simple.

NigellasDealer · 16/02/2014 09:33

metella I posted a perfectly clear problem about bottled/tank gas and the difficulty i had in paying for a tank full in advance, and the replies were astounding. I might add that my writing style is perfectly clear and unambiguous and i had quite a few really nasty replies suggesting I was some kind of freeloader and all sorts; and sooo patronising - people saying things like 'I suggest you go off and have a quiet think about your communication style'!!
i suggested they all go off and polish up their comprehension skills which were sadly lacking.

Pagwatch · 16/02/2014 09:34

Yes. Too true .

Or the other extreme are the Miss Marples who pick on an obscure fact in the op and challenge it to try and imply the op is lying .

'Im so upset. I went to get my shopping this morning and a man punched me as I was parking my Audi by the side of tesco'

'Really? I don't know any tescos with parking by the side of the building and you are posting this at 11.53 on a Sunday . Surely they don't open until 11.00 on a Sunday. Are you seriously saying all this drama happened and you got back home to post within 53 minutes Hmm '

NigellasDealer · 16/02/2014 09:34

not to mention empathy - as i say these things seem to go hand in hand.

ItitwrongtofancyHarryStyles · 16/02/2014 09:38

Ok here's a comprehension test:

My husband's wonderful, he does 80% of the housework when he is at home and is kind and loving and hands on with our dc. He works away on an oil rig every other fortnight and I and the kids miss him so much. Last last night he drank four beers and fell asleep in the middle of Splash! - AIBU to feel Sad we didn't have an evening together?

Qu's:
What part does h's MIL play in this scenario?
What does this tell us about h's relationship with alcohol?
Does anyone really watch Splash!?
Is this really the exact pattern for oil rig working or could there be an alternative reason for his absence?
Why has the OP omitted to tell us what they were eating?
Were the children 'shipped off' to the childminder?

Sparklingbrook · 16/02/2014 09:40

I think the DH in that scenario has a second family for sure It.

YouStayClassySanDiego · 16/02/2014 09:42

Only 80% of the housework, ltb!

DuckworthLewis · 16/02/2014 09:46

You're referring to the logical fallacy known as a Straw Man Argument

Very irritating, but oddly commonplace on MN.

BackOnlyBriefly · 16/02/2014 09:47

A lot of people seem to pick 2-3 keywords in your post and off they go. But some are doing it on purpose. A few times I've explained the same thing several different ways and practically drawn a diagram and realised that they knew what I meant, but were not going to let that stop them.

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